One of France's best-known criminal lawyers Olivier Metzner found dead on beach

Leading French lawyer Olivier Metzner (Reuters)

Police have discovered the body of one of France's most prominent lawyers washed up on a beach near his home in Brittany.

The Vannes public prosecutor's office said 63-year-old Olivier Metzner was found dead about 9am after leaving a note.

Metzner was famed in France for defending high-profile figures such as trader Jerome Kerviel and former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.

His associate, Antonin Levy, told The Associated Press that Metzner's death represented a huge loss to the French bar, calling him a “great lawyer and a fighter.” Levy could not confirm French media reports that the note was a suicide letter.

AP